Tips & Tools Weekly (Vol. 19, No. 15)

Video Tip: Save Your Drawings to the Cloud with Autodesk 360
One of the great things about the cloud is the ability to access it from anywhere, as long as you have an Internet connection. In this video tip from Cadalyst and Lynn Allen, you’ll see how to automatically save an extra copy of your drawing files to Autodesk 360 for easy access, no matter where you are. This backup system can be especially valuable when you’re working outside the office. Watch the video

Don't Forget to Tip
Do you know a better way to work — in AutoCAD or any other CAD software tool? Why not take a few minutes to share your tips with your fellow CAD users? When you give, you'll also receive: If we publish your tip, you'll earn an Amazon gift card and be entered in the quarterly prize drawing. Use the "Submit Tip" button below to send us your tip today!

SuperHatch Command
This tip from Dean Petersen reminds us about AutoCAD's SuperHatch command. "Don't forget to use the SuperHatch command. Either type it on the Command line or find it in Express tools." View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Reminder: AutoCAD Hotfix Reduces File Size
Have you been noticing file sizes that are much larger than they should be? Cara Nash Snyder reminds us that the problem may be nonessential data carried over from DGN files. The issue may even be compounding from file to file. For users of AutoCAD 2013/2014, there's an AutoCAD DGN Hotfix that may solve the problem.

April Tips from Hot Tip Harry

Hot Tip Harry, Cadalyst's mysterious purveyor of customized AutoCAD code, has dispatched another bundle of great LISP tips from readers. View and download each of the latest tips using the links below, or get the entire April 2014 Hot Tip Harry batch at once.

Match Xref Properties
Many times when you are working in AutoCAD and attaching an external reference drawing, you will want the new xref to have the same properties as an existing xref, such as insertion point, rotation angle, and scale — and you can do just that with this routine from Leland Leahy. View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Layer Isolate/Unisolate Using Freeze and ThawKent Cooper authored an improved Layer Isolate/Unisolate command for AutoCAD, then updated it to use Freeze and Thaw instead of Off and On. View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Export Multiple Layouts to DWG Files
Since AutoCAD 2009, we have had the ability to export a single layout to a new model space drawing. This routine by Amir Hossein Sattarian, however, allows you to export multiple layouts to individual DWG files automatically. View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Review Cadalyst's Tip Submission Guidelines, then Submit Your Tip for your favorite CAD software. Be sure to tell us which software version you use. If we publish your original, previously unpublished tip, you can earn a gift card (learn more about prizes here). Please submit only tips or code that are your original work. By submitting code, you grant Cadalyst the right to print and distribute your tip in print, digitally, and by other means. Cadalyst and individual authors retain all rights to submitted tips.

By submitting code, you agree that your code can be reused as-is or modified by other users in conjunction with AutoCAD or other software programs to gain efficiencies in that software for professional or personal use, and that your code can be shared freely among users. Users do not have the right to republish code in any manner or format (such as on a blog web site or in a printed document) for personal or commercial gain without written permission from Cadalyst and the original author.

Got Feedback? To share feedback about one of today's tips, navigate to the tip using the link provided above, then click Comment. The Comment tool is available to registered users of Cadalyst'sCAD Tips site.

Tips & Tools Weekly software tips for AutoCAD are reviewed in the latest version of AutoCAD by Contributing Editor R.K. McSwain. Use all tips at your own discretion, please. We're sorry, but Cadalyst staff cannot provide assistance with technical problems. Please refer to Cadalyst's LinkedIn and Facebook communities for assistance with AutoLISP and other AutoCAD customization questions.

i GET IT Teams with 3Dconnexion to Offer Discounts Through May 31
Engineering training provider i GET IT is offering 20% off online purchases of i GET IT training subscriptions made with the discount code 3DCON20. In addition, purchasers will receive a special code for a 20% off coupon to purchase a Professional Series mouse from 3Dconnexion. The discount offer, which is valid for monthly and annual subscriptions in North America, expires May 31, 2014.

Contex Lowers Prices of Three Scanners for Limited TimeContex is offering second-quarter promotional pricing on three models of scanners with stands. The models included in this promotion are the HD Ultra i4250s ($11,995); the IQ Quattro 4490 ScanStation ($10,250); and the HD 5450 ScanStation ($17,900). For more information, contact salesamericas@contex.com.

Best Practice Structural Modeling with EdgeWise Structure
April 29, 2014
1 p.m. ET
This ClearEdge3D webinar will focus on case studies of faster, more accurate workflows using the new EdgeWise Structure. Read more

For a complete list of CAD meetings, conferences, training sessions, and more, check out our calendar of events on Cadalyst.com. Are you hosting an event that you would like to include in our calendar? Submit details at least two weeks in advance to news@cadalyst.com.

IMAGINiT Tricks Tutorial: Use Master Modeling Techniques in Autodesk Inventor's Sheet Metal Environment
In this tutorial by Mark Flayler, you'll learn how to control parametric updates across multiple files and to speed up overall model creation and editing time. Watch the video

CAD Manager's Toolbox: IT Knowledge for CAD Managers
If you're like many CAD managers (myself included), you have a solid base of IT knowledge, but you don't have enough time to become an IT expert. ITManagement.com offers valuable IT information. Read more

MicroStation Tutorial: Create Custom Toolboxes in MicroStation
In this video, Peter Mann shows how to create customized toolboxes within the MicroStation interface so you can more easily access the utilities and functionality you use the most. Watch the video

About the Author: Cadalyst Staff

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AutoCAD Tips!

In her easy-to-follow, friendly style, long-time Cadalyst contributing editor and Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a new feature or time-saving trick in every episode of her popular AutoCAD video tips. Subscribe to the free Cadalyst Video Picks newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is published. All exclusively from Cadalyst!